Apparatus for condensing vapors



r 1,627,544 y 3 1927- E. w. lSOM ETAI- APFARATUS FOR CONDENSING ,VAPORS Filed June 23 2 Sheets-Shec l May 3 1927.

E. w. ISOM ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING VAPORS Filed June 23, 1921 Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,627,544 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD W. ISOM, OF WINNETKA. ILLINOIS, AND JOHN E. BELL. OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO SINCLAIR REFINING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION OF MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING VAPORS.

Application filed June 23,

Our invention is more particularly designed for the condensation of vapors from petroleum pressure, stills and will be hereinafter described in reference thereto, though it will be evident from what follows that in .certain of its features it is applicable to the condensation of other vapors. In our improved form of condenser the vapors are condensed by being injected into a body of liquid of the same general composition as the vapors themselves,- preterably previously formed condensate. The body of condensate is preferably cooled by means of cool ing coils or the like through which circulate"; a cooling fluid preferably oil or water, the condensate being rapidly circulated in contact with the coils by means to be hereinafter described. In the preferred form of the invention fractional condensation is accomplished whereby any desired number of condensates, differing from each other with respect to volatility are formed. This is accomplished by employing a series of con densers maintained at successively decreasing temperatures, the vapors passing first through the condenser in which the c0ndensate is maintained at the highest temperature and thence through the other condensers in the order of their temperatures; thus the condensates in the respective condensers correspondingly differ in the volatility of their components. The differences in temperature between the respective condensers is maintained by circulatin the cooling medium in the reverse directlon to the circulation of the'vaporsthrough the series of condensers thus the vapors coming to the first condenser are at full still temperature say of 550 degrees and are cooled in said condenser to say 400 degrees whereby the least volatile of the components are condensed. In this condenser also the cooling fluid, whether water or oil, inside the cooling coils is at the maximum temperature and if water is employed and at atmospheric pressure it may be discharged at a temperature of 212 degrees or it higher pressure is employed in the cooling coils it may be discharged at a higher temperature 'and in either event it is suitably preheated for use in boilers or for other purposes. In the second condenser the temperature of the 1921. Serial No. 479,796.

denser of the group of hydro-carbons of the next higher degree of volatility. The water in the coils in this chamber would, of course, be somewhat cooler than that in the coils of the first condenser. In the third condenser which, in the construction shown is the last, the vapors and distillate may be cooled to within a few degrees of the temperature of the entering water. It will thus be seen that the vapors pass to condensers of successively lower temperatures and the water or other cooling fluid to condensers of successively higher temperatures, the flow of water and vapor being respectively in opposite directions. Furthermore the pressure of the vapors may be correspondingly reduced in the series of condensers, the full still pressure of say 100 pounds being reduced to say pounds in the first condenser, then dropping to 35 or 40 pounds in the second condenser and finally to atmospheric pressure in the third condenser.

Any vapor escaping as such with the fixed gas from the third' condenser may be con densed in any ordinary manner.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown and in the following specification described preferred forms of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the specific disclosures are for the purpose of exemplification only and that the scope of invention is defined in the following'claims in which we have endeavored to distinguish it from the prior art so far as known to us without, however, relinquishing or abandoning any portion or feature thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the preferred form of the invention; Fig; 2 a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.; Fig. 3 a side elevation, partly broken away, of a modified form of the apparatus; Fig. 4 a transverse section of the same on the line tic-4 of 3,'and Fig. 5 an enlarged vertical sectional view of a detail.

Each part is identified by the same reference character wherever it appears in the several views. Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, and 2 the condenser shown therein is designed for three stage fractional condensation, there being three condensing units, '6, 7, 8, though obviously a lesser or greater number of units might be employed if desired. As will presently appear these units are connected up in series, the vapors from the still being first received into the lower condenser and then successively into the middle and upper condensers. The condensers, or the contents thereof, are cooled by coils through which is circulated some cooling liquid which may be water or crude oil on its way to the still, the condenser, in case the latter tluid is used,

serving as a preheater for the still. 10

, Except in the respects specifically pointed out the condensing units are identical and the description of one will therefore serve for all. Each preferably comprises a cylindrical drum or shell 9 with closed ends 10, 11, adapted to be partially tilled with oil, preferably to about the height indicated by the dotted line 10" in Figure 2. A closed circuit for providing a forced circulation of the oil in the condenser is provided by a pair of downwardly extending hollow legs 11, 12, connected by and communicating with the tank and with a longitudinal pipe 13 which is closed at its ends as at 14, 15. The vapors coming from the still (not shown) are introduced into the pipe 13 at one end thereof by a pipe 16 connected to the still.

Pipe 16 communicates with a nozzle 17 secured in the head 15 and extending longitudinally of the pipe 13 so that the vapors coming from the still enter the pipe 13 in the direction of its length and, being under high pressure, with great velocity. The injection of the vapors therefore creates a rapid circulation of the oil from the drum down the hollow leg- 12 through the pipe 13 and up the hollow leg 11 back to the drum. In the drum the oil circulates from the leg 11 to the leg 12. The injected vapors are thoroughly and intimately mixed and intermin led with the oil in the pipe 13 and also are rought into contact with the oil in the drum. A portion of the vapors are condensed and incorporated with the condensate in the drum but the lighter portions bubble up through the oil in the condenser to the vapor space above the same.

The liquid in the respective drums is cooled by means ofcoils 18 through which flows a stream of water, crude oil or other cooling medium. The cooling coils 18 are preferably in the form of flat involutes substantially filling the cross sectionof the condenser, arranged at suitable intervals therein and connected together in series. In each condenser the cooling fluid enters the end coil remote from the end of the drum which first receives the incoming vapors so that the fiowof the cooling medium through the condenser is in the opposite general direction to that of the vapors and oil. The first coil in the top-most condenser is connected to some outsidesource of cooling medium through a pipe 19. The final coil therein is connected by a pipe 20 to the first coil of the second condenser. The cooling liquid flowing through the coils of the second condenser escapes through pipe 21 to the inlet 22 of the initial coil of the third condenser and after flowing through the coils thereof escapes through the outlet 23. Each drum is provided with a vapor outlet pipe 24 communicating with the vapor space thereof and connected to the vapor injector pipe 16 of the drum next above, so that the uncon densed vapors from each drum are injected into the circulation pipe 13 of the drum next above and after being thoroughly mixed with the oil in said pipe enter the condensing drum, the uncondensed vapors escaping into the vapor space thereof. The uppermost condenser is provided with an outlet 26 for the fixed gases. Each drum is also provided with a safety valve 27 to maintain any desired pressure thereon and permit the escape of gases and vapors when the pressure which it is designed to carry is exceeded. A drawolf pipe 27 extends from the bottom of each condenser whereby the condensate may be drawn off continuously or from time to time as desired.

The operation of our improved condenser has been described in connection with the construction thereof but may be briefly reviewed as follows: Assuming that the con- (lensing drums are partially filled with condensate, the vapors from the still injected into the circulation tube of the lowest drum mingle intimately with the condensate therein and force a violent circulation of the mixture in the direction of the arrow a. This causes a suction of the liquid from the drum' through the hollow leg 12 as indicated by the arrow Z) and a movement of the oil longitudinally of the drum from left to right. The mixture of vapors and condensate, the latter including that from the incoming vapors, enters the drum through the hollow leg 11, the uncondensed vapors escaping into the vapor space above the condensate in the drum. The condensate and likewise the vapors are more or less cooled passing length= wise of the drum and a further condensation is effected therein. From the right hand end of the drum the vapors escape and are injected into the circulation pipe 13 of the next drum where asimilar action takes place but at a somewhat lower temperature, the uncondensed vapors escaping to the third drum and so on. The flow of cooling fluid through the coils as heretofore pointed out is in the reverse. direction to the flow of the vapors through the drums thus most efii-,

cicntly using the cooling liquid and bringing it to the highest temperature at the lowermost drum Where the vapors are hottest, and in case oil is the cooling medium used it is then at a suitable temperature for introducing into the still. If water he the cooling medium it is thus pro-heated for boiler use. By reason of the decrease in. temperature e I i from drum to' drum the condensates from the several drums will be lighter in the order of the drums fromthe bottom up and, as it is possible by the cooling system shown and described to maintain a well defined difference in temperatures between the successive drums the separation or cutof the groups of hydro-carbons in the respective shells will be correspondingly clean. I

Ir Figs. 3, 4,-and 5 we have shown a single condenser of a slightly different construction but the mode of operation is the same as that of the condensers shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and if fractional ormultiple condensation is desired a plurality of these condenser 7 units may be employed as in the form first described In this form of the device the condenser drum is likewise provided with ceive the a closed circuit 31 for the circulation of the oil, the ends of the circuit, however, enter= ing the endsu32 of the drum. A- T 33 is connected to the longitudinal -pipe"34 at one of and receives oil from the drum through the branch 35. Vapor pipe 36 con, ing from the still is secured to cap plate 37 on the T and a nozzle 38 having a reduced outlet 39 is connected to the plate to revapors from the pipe 36 and direct them into the pipe 34 in an axial direction. The ,cooling' coils 38, 39, 40 are arranged longitudinally of the condenser, the inlet and outlet pipes 4Li42 thereof beingcarried through the cover plate 43 ofthe inan opening for a cleaning or a hole opening 44.- A safety Valve may be installed at 45' and a sight glass at 46 to'observe the level of the oil. The charging flushing liquid is shown at 47 and an outlet for the same at 48, These openings are nornially closed by cover plates. The usual draw-ofi' outlet is shown at 49: As'theoperation of this'form I of condenser is substantially that of the form first described it is pnnecessary to repeat the I description thereof. 1- 4 i 'We claim: 1. In apparatus of the class described,'a

7 plurality of tan -adapted to introduce the vapors into the body of condensate therein, and means for separately drawing off the condensate from each of said tanks.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a series of condensing tanks each adapted to contain a body of-condensate and a body of vapor and gas, means for injecting vapor into the body of condensate in the first ,of said condensers, means for conducting gas and vapors from the vapor space of each of said condensing'tanks and injecting it into the body of condensate in the next tank in the series, densate from. each of the tanks, a cooling coil in each tank, the cooling coils in the 'respective tanks being connected, and means o t l I u n a tor supplying cooling fluld to sald coils in coil, in each condensing tank, a 3irculatingisystem conne'cted with each condensing tank, means for injecting vapors into the circulating force the liquid therethrough, said means,

system of each condensing tank to means fordrawing off the conexcept that connected to-the first tank of the, I

series, communicating with the vapor space of the preceding tank, connections between 1 the respective tanks, and

the coolingcoils in means for circulating fluid through said coilsin a direction reverse tothe circulation of the vapors through said condensing tank.-

EDWARD W. 'ISOMH JOHN E. BELL. 

